Newcastle United continue to look to France for new recruits as manager Alan Pardew is overruled

Newcastle United’s manager Alan Pardew may be keen to increase the number of
English players in his squad, but the club’s new director of football Joe
Kinnear does not appear to be looking to bring an end to the club’s
fascination with French imports.

Overruled: Alan Pardew has been on holiday and would like to sign players with Premier League experience, apparentlyPhoto: PA

Pardew has told Kinnear he would like to sign Aston Villa’s Darren Bent, Norwich City’s Anthony Pilkington and West Ham’s James Tomkins this summer to strengthen his Newcastle squad with players possessing Premier League experience.

But chief scout Graham Carr has also continued to recommend players from the French league and reports from the continent have indicated Newcastle are prepared to offer as much as £20 million to AS Saint-Étienne to sign striker Patrick-Emerick Aubameyang and exciting centre-back prospect Kurt Zouma.

Despite the angry reaction from fans to his appointment as an all-powerful director of football who only answers to owner Mike Ashley, Kinnear has thrown himself wholeheartedly in to his new job.

Most of his time, though, has been spent with Carr, rather than Pardew, who has been on holiday with his family before the start of pre-season training on July 9th.

Carr has been long term admirer of Aubameyang and Newcastle failed with a bid to sign the Gabon international back in January, but the move for the 18-year-old Zouma is a new development. The centre-back is regarded as a thrilling prospect, making his first team debut when he was just 16, and he has played for France at every level up to under-20s.

Should the pair sign in this transfer window, it will take the number of players at Newcastle who speak French as their first language to 14.

However, some of those are likely to leave this summer. Yohan Cabaye is looking to return to France with either Paris Saint Germain or Monaco, while Sylvain Marveaux is attracting interest from clubs in Russia after a disappointing two years on Tyneside in which he has failed to become a first team regular under Pardew.